SHAH ALAM, March 3 — Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate’s victory in the Semenyih by-election will strengthen the Opposition's voice in championing the people’s interests, said Selangor Opposition leader Rizam Ismail.

In thanking Semenyih constituents, Rizam described the Semenyih by-election results as retaining BN's winning momentum following its victory in the Cameron Highlands by-election recently.

"I am confident that with the additional state assemblyman (from the Opposition) in the Selangor state assembly, the Opposition will have a stronger voice,” he said in a statement last night.

This victory gives the Opposition its sixth seat. BN has five seats and PAS, one. There are 56 constituencies within Selangor.

BN wrested the Semenyih State Legislative Assembly Seat after its candidate, Zakaria Hanafi won the four-cornered contest in the by-election for the state constituency with a majority of 1,914 votes.

Zakaria, 58, polled 19,780 votes to beat Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Muhammad Aiman Zainali, 30, who obtained 17,866 votes; Nik Aziz Afiq Abdul, 25, from Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) (847 votes) and independent candidate who is also a social activist, Kuan Chee Heng, 56, (725 votes). — Bernama